How to Make the Perfect Fried Egg

A step-by-step tutorial explaining how to make the perfect fried egg. Start practicing, and then enjoy eating fried eggs for breakfast, lunch, and brinner!

I have always loved eggs, but we have been extra special BFFs these past 18 days. Preparing Whole 30-compliant lunches and dinners is not hard at all, but I have found that my creativity in the breakfast department is lacking a bit. I cannot eat toast. I cannot eat pancakes or waffles. I cannot eat oatmeal or breakfast bakes. So what does that leave? A lot more than you think … but also A LOT of eggs!

Eggs are easy, delicious, healthy, and quite versatile. What’s not to like?

And while I enjoy omelets and scrambled eggs, my favorite way to cook my eggs is definitely to fry them. Sometimes I leave the yolk runny, sometimes I cook the yolk to medium hardness, and often times I enjoy the yolk fully cooked through. It just depends on my mood! Lately, however, they have been looking a lot like this:

Fried, crispy, and with a well-cooked yolk. Don’t worry runny yolks, I still love ya. But lately, I am really feeling this.

Since my fried eggs have been popping up on Instagram like crazy, I have received quite a few comments about how perfect my eggs are cooked and requests from those wanting to know my cooking technique. When I find a good thing, I don’t like to keep it a secret. I want y’all to be eating the perfect eggs, too! It was only a matter of time before I photographed this step-by-step tutorial on exactly how I cook my eggs. And while my egg in this photograph does not look nearly as pretty as it normally does (ironic, eh?), you get the gist!

I moved back and forth between my stovetop and photography area for the sake of lighting and prettiness, but obviously you will be at your stove!

How to Make the Perfect Fried Egg

Making the perfect fried egg requires four essentials: an egg (duh), coconut oil, a frying pan, and a lid. That’s it!

Begin my adding about one teaspoon of coconut oil to your frying pan. Heat it over medium-high heat.

Once the pan is nice and hot, carefully crack the egg. You want to ensure that you do not break the yolk.

It should look like this.

Once the egg has been cracked, put the lid on! Aside from the coconut oil, the lid is the key to the perfectly fried egg. The lid does not have to fit the skillet, but it needs to fully cover the egg and keep air out. Another great reason to use a lid is to prevent oil splatter.

Cook the egg for at least three to five minutes, or until the whites of the egg are firm. You can stop here if you want a runny egg, or you can keep on cooking for a medium or hard yolk. If you are not a runny egg fan, you’ll want to keep on reading!

For this particular egg, I cooked it for an additional two to three minutes. This egg yolk was completely cooked through. You can always continue to fry it even longer if you like your eggs extra crispy. Another trick is to use more coconut oil for added crispness.

Just the way I have been loving them lately: with crispy edges! I have also been topping mine off with mustard or salsa. Most ketchups are a no-no on the Whole 30, so I am happy to have other condiment options that I love.

I hope this tutorial helps you get more delicious fried eggs into your life! I’d love to hear your tips and tricks for cooking eggs in the comments below.

You know, I have never had a fried egg (shocking!). It looks pretty easy though, so I really need to deviate away from my scrambled eggs every now and then.
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie recently posted...Changing My Perspective

This is my kind of post ;) I like my eggs very crispy but with the yolk still a bit runny, so I only cover my pan for 30 seconds or so after the egg is crispy, but my kids like the yolk firm so I make them almost exactly as you describe and it's a win every time :)
Michele @ paleorunningmomma recently posted...The Other Side of Motivation – TOL

One minor technicality: "Over easy" (medium, hard) means exactly that: you flip the egg OVER and cook it on the other side for 15, 30, or 60 seconds. What you are doing is cooking the yolk through, and that's fine, but it isn't really what "over" means.

I've always been terrible at fried eggs! I need to try the lid trick next time. About a year ago I bought one of those healthy non-stick skillets. I think it's called Green Pan. That thing is amazing for cooking eggs!
Miranda @ Miranda Writes Blog recently posted...The Makeup Mix-Up: Craving Coral

The lid is SO important to a perfect egg! And we've been loving runny yolks lately, but I normally use water instead of oil because I don't like when the edges get crispy (is that weird?).
Kelly @ Hidden Fruits and Veggies recently posted...Field Roast Factory Tour

Ooh! I have never tried cooking an egg in coconut oil. My husband makes amazing fried eggs but he swears by using butter to make them perfect, but I always want mine to be more healthy. I'll have to try this out!
Shannon recently posted...How to Set Up Rich Pins Using Yoast

Hi, Hannah! I discovered your blog a few months ago and I've been wondering how you make your eggs ever since! I love eggs, but I typically make them over easy since I don't like the whites to anything other than thoroughly and completely set. I'll have to try the lid trick tomorrow. :)
Also, where'd you find that blue skillet? It's beautiful!

Thank you so much for this amazing life hack! I use coconut oil for many other things, but this fried egg recipe turned it perfectly. I have been struggling with clean eating lately, and fell into a bit of depression. I truly enjoyed my meal and didn't feel any guilt from it. I also added some salsa as you suggested, and a little bit of pepper and sriracha. Best egg ever! (Hope the sriracha isn't cheating too badly) Thanks for sharing. Will be following you! Love and light ?✨